The Glock 30S for Concealed Carry

Comfortable to carry and packing 10+1 rounds of .45 ACP, the Glock 30S is the latest member of the Glock line-up. It packs the ultimate punch in a concealable package.

Glock 30S: Defining a Subcompact

Glock currently offers four variants of this pistol: a standard Model 30 (the original), the 30SF (reduced frame circumference for an easier trigger reach), the 30S you see here (slimmer slide on an SF frame) and the Glock 30 Gen4.

Experiment mounting the holster inside the waistband between the 4 o’clock and 3 o’clock positions (for lefties try the area from 9 to 8 o’clock spots) in order to determine what works best for your comfort.

Gen4 Glocks feature a new grip texture, recoil spring assembly, enlarged and reversible magazine catch and adjustable backstrap. Practically speaking, all the 30s are the same gun, offering the 10+1 capacity of .45 Auto in a smaller but thicker to hold package.

Unloaded the 30S weighs 20.28 ounces. Loaded it jumps to 30.16 ounces. Hard data aside, the gun never really feels heavy in the hand nor in the holster. In fact, it is well balanced and, depending on the holster, relatively easy to carry for long periods of time.

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The size and weight of the Glock 30S prevents you from carrying it in your pocket or in an ankle holster. Even though it is relatively small and lightweight, it’s not that small nor lightweight. Laws of physics and common sense all but demand that this gun be carried in an inside or outside the waistband holster.

Carrying Inside the Waistband

With most holsters, carrying inside the waistband maximizes concealability at the expense of some comfort. While this was mostly true for the Glock 30S, carrying it in an inside the waistband holster demonstrated the benefits of this pistol’s relatively light weight. While dimensionally smaller guns exist, few can boast being chambered in .45 Auto with a 10+1 capacity.

So, the main draw (pun intended) for the Glock 30S becomes a matter of being able to carry the maximum in concealable firepower. Consider: 10+1 in any caliber is a good number of rounds for concealed carry. 10+1 of .45 Auto is heavy duty, literally. With 230-grain self-defense rounds tucked in your belt, that’s 2,530 grains of hollow-point bullet at the ready.

Carrying the chunky Glock 30S inside the waistband in the Galco Scout holster, a relatively thick holster, resulted not in the feeling that you were trying to hide a small animal on your hip, but actually felt pretty good and carried well.

Mark Kakkuri is a nationally published freelance journalist and avid outdoorsman. He has over 20 years of professional writing experience, a bachelor's degree in communications, and blogs at gunwriting.com